A Voyage round the World: A book for boysKingston, William Henry Giles
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A Voyage round the World: A book for boys
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Voyages around the world -- Juvenile fiction
are situated, is a green sward skirted by the beach and shaded by lofty
cocoa-nut and plantain trees. The European villas are generally further
back--many of them very prettily built, and surrounded by gardens full
of the most delicious fruit and flowers. Many of the foreign consuls
and merchants live in villas a few miles up the country. Good wharves
have been built, and ships of 700 tons can refit alongside them.
Altogether Honolulu is a very wonderful place.
Jerry and I and the doctor, as usual, went on shore to see what was to
be seen, and this time we were accompanied by Mr Brand. The ship was
to remain in the harbour for several days, and we were very anxious to
make a journey to some distance into the interior, that we might see the
natives as they were away from the centre of civilisation. We had
introductions here to several gentlemen, who promised to forward our
views. We were amused with the extraordinary appearance of the natives
in the streets--barbarism and civilisation met together. The former
dress of the men was the taro, a kilt joined between the legs, so as to
form a wide and very short pair of breeches. Some to this now add a
blue shirt, sometimes with the tails tucked in, sometimes flowing
gracefully. Some wear cast-off coats, or jackets, or trousers, of
Europeans; but few of the common people have more than one of these
garments on at a time, and still fewer ever encumber themselves with
shoes and stockings. The women had on generally long blue chemises, or
gowns and bonnets of every variety of colour and shape, and put on in
all sorts of ways--some placing them hind part before; indeed, they had
apparently exercised their ingenuity to make them as unbecoming as
possible. Formerly, we were told, their head-dress was a wreath of
flowers, which suited their dark skins, and had a very pretty effect.
The chiefs, however, and their wives, were dressed in European costume,
and the king in public wears the Windsor uniform. It is supposed that
the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands derive their origin from the
Malays, and that at a very remote period a Malay junk, or fleet of
junks, was cast on those shores. Their skins have the same dark hue,
and their features the same form, as the Malays of the present day. It
is said that this group is becoming rapidly depopulated. The people
themselves have taken up the idea that their race is to become extinct,
and seem willing to yield to their fate without a struggle. The
diseases introduced by Europeans have tended to cause this, but they
themselves have many pernicious customs. Among others, no sooner does a
native feel himself attacked with fever than he rushes into the sea, or
into the nearest cold stream, as he fancies, to cool himself. The
result is that--the pores being closed instead of kept open and
perspiration encouraged--death comes in a few hours. Among our friends
here was Mr Callard, a missionary, who had resided in the island for
some years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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